Vacuum frying reduces oil uptake and improves the quality parameters of carrot crisps

Recent consumer trends towards healthier and low fat products have had a significant impact on the snack industry. The objective of this study was to examine the most important quality parameters of vacuum and atmospheric fried carrot slices in order to identify the specific advantages of vacuum technology. Said parameters include oil uptake, colour changes, and trans alpha and beta-carotene degradation. Equivalent thermal driving forces were used (Delta T = 60 degrees C and 80 degrees C) to compare the processes, maintaining a constant difference in temperature between the oil and the boiling point of water at the working pressure. The results showed that vacuum frying can reduce oil content by nearly 50% (d.b.) and preserve approximately 90% of trans alpha-carotene and 86% of trans beta-carotene. This process also allowed for the raw carrot colour to be preserved, which was reflected by good correlations between a* and trans beta-carotene content, b* and trans alpha-carotene content, and hue and total carotenoid content. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.